Carnegie Foundation Recognizes USF for Community Engagement

THE UNIVERSITY of San Francisco’s long-standing commitment to the local and global community has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which has classified USF as one of 76 “community engaged” colleges and universities in the country.

In awarding the classification, the foundation called USF’s community engagement programs “exemplary” and said the university has demonstrated an “excellent alignment between mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.”

Along with Santa Clara University, USF is one of just two Jesuit universities to be awarded Carnegie’s community engagement classification. USF received the classification in both possible categories, curriculum engagement and outreach and partnerships.

Developed in 1970, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the leading classification system used by academic researchers, policymakers, charitable foundations, and magazines that rank colleges, including U.S. News and World Report. The community engagement designation is part of a new set of classifications Carnegie has developed in an attempt to paint a more accurate picture of the diversity of higher education.

USF was one of just 100 institutions invited by the foundation to apply for the community engagement designation. In response, the university submitted a 50-page report detailing the dozens of community projects in place in and outside of USF classrooms. “From the Tenderloin of San Francisco to Cape Town, South Africa; from Tijuana, Mexico to Phnom Penh, Cambodia; from San Quentin Prison in the San Francisco Bay to San Lucas Toliman in Guatemala, USF is fully engaged with local and international community partners to address pressing problems and promote social justice in the Jesuit tradition,” the report concludes.

“This is a very important external recognition of how we translate our mission into what happens in the classroom and around our campus, in the city, and in the world,” said Associate Provost Gerardo Marín. “Our faculty are engaged with our community doing research that improves people’s lives and promotes social justice. Our students are engaged in and out of the classroom finding the truth as they become change agents.

“This designation clearly shows that we are indeed committed to educating minds and hearts to change the world.”